Cyber Hook (2020)

On paper, Cyber Hook taps into several gameplay elements that are innately appealing: It encourages high-speed gameplay, it blends parkour platforming with precision, and its retrowave environments look really freaking cool. But, its PlayStation implementation is somewhat buggy, hindering the momentum further beyond progression decisions that already prevent players from blazing through the games. I want to believe that Blazing Stick will continue to support the PlayStation version and iron out some of the kinks (and hopefully release new content, too), as its current implementation leaves much to be desired.

When it works, Cyber Hook is excellent, the stages are enjoyable and stimulate the player's creativity. Unfortunately, that's not the case with the PS4 version and what's left is a broken game and a mediocre experience not worth your time.

For a game based on maintaining your momentum, it's disappointing that Cyber Hook wears thin after playing it for only a short while. That being said, some gamers who enjoy re-playing levels repeatedly to outdo their previous efforts might enjoy it.

Its free form but open level-design makes exploration fun and gives me such a satisfying feeling after completing each level to sometimes retry them again and again to optimize my route and get that three-star rating. If you want a game that is easy to learn, emphasizes arcade-like replayability and just feels great to play on Switch, Cyber Hook should definitely be on your radar. I can't say anything else except that I'm completely hooked on this one.

It's only when things slow down in Cyber Hook that things feel clunky and awkward. The rest of the time this is a senses-heightening adrenaline shot to right to the eyeball.